A call for true peace — not a deal that forsakes reunification

As world leaders gather for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, and speculation grows over a potential meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, global attention has turned once again to the Korean Peninsula. Many headlines focus on whether a new U.S.-North Korea summit will materialize, or whether Washington and Seoul might reach a trade agreement on the sidelines of the APEC event. But behind those headlines lies a deeper question, one that cuts to the heart of the peninsula’s identity and destiny. For Koreans, this is not merely about diplomacy or trade. It is about whether a divided people can reclaim their unity and moral purpose, or whether the scars of the 20th century — colonization, partition and ideological war — will be allowed to harden into permanence. Recent surveys show how public sentiment can fluctuate — and how easily it can be misread as national direction. According to a Korea Institute for National Unification poll conducted in mid-2025, only 49 percent of South KoWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times